Can we pray directly to God or must all prayer go through Jesus?

Full Question

Recently a Methodist friend said that you couldn’t pray directly to God, that you must go through Jesus. Can we pray directly to God or must all prayer go through Jesus?

Answer

It is important to make the distinction between prayer addressed to God the Father and prayer having access to the Father.

Jesus taught us to pray directly to the Father when he gave us the Our Father (Matt. 6:9). But we should understand that our prayers have access to the Father only through Jesus, for he proclaimed, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me” (John 14:6).

37 comments

I’m a but puzzled by this answer and the question in general. Doesn’t the whole concept of the Holy Trinity by default allow us to pray directly to God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit at the same time? I am confused at why anyone would pray to just one or the other when they can pray to all three in the same breath?

Personally, I think every prayer goes through Jesus first since He is the Way. When I pray, I pray the Lord’s Prayer (Our Father), an Act of Contrition and a personal prayer of my own. I may pray simply to adore The Father, thank The Son for what He did for me, and (since I never ask for material objects) I pray to The Holy Spirit for guidance, to strengthen me, to help my family and friends, etc. But I think all of that has to go Christ first before going to The Father and/or The Holy Spirit. 🙂

A lot of people get confused of this as well. They are 3 in 1 united together as one in the same. But they are 3 distinctive person. This is my son whom I am well pleased. This is what Heavenly Father said when the Holy Ghost came down like a dove. Christ was given the Holy Ghost at that time upon batizism.

When I think of praying through Jesus, and when I think of Jesus being the way, the truth, and the life, I see it this way: Since Jesus is the truth, we can only pray to the Father with truth in us, (which is Jesus who is truth)…In other words when we pray to the Father we can only pray ‘truth’……so there is no way to pray to God without speaking truth which is the way to the Father…If I pray directly to the Father, then automatically I am praying through Jesus (If I live my Christian life), and this ….all inspired by the Holy Spirit…Thus the Trinity…..
The Our Father which was given to us through Jesus is a prayer directly to the Father, inspired by the Holy Spirit through Jesus himself…. Amen!

When I pray, I started saying God the Father, God the Son and the Holy Spirit, and say “please bless and protect us the”Our Father, Hail Mary , Glory be to the Father “, then I followed the 5 prayers requested. To Praise,to Thank, to be blessed, ask protection and and forgiveness. And a special prayer request for family, for others and the soul in purgatory for purification. Do I need more to add in asking our Almighty.

We dare (the term used at Mass) call God Father only because we share in Christ’s Sonship through Baptism. It is through that sonship that we have access to the Father, so we need not express Jesus’ name specifically in our prayer (e.g. in reciting the Our Father), but Jesus is the medium through which we pray.;

i once died in my sleep and slowly my soul separate from my body. i saw my roommate sleeping and called him several times but how can he hears me when i am a spirit going up through the ceiling. then i call God directly and beg Him not to get me yet. my soul immediately return to my body and i wake up.

The way I understand it is we can pray directly to God coz Jesus himself thought us the prayer that we should say. And about what Jesus said ” I am the way the truth and the light” doesn’t mean we should pray through him but instead we should pray like him. Isn’t that what the bible really says? Following Jesus’ teachings makes you follow his way which is the truth and the light to God’s glory.

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit…amen. Father God help the people in this forum who are confused of wether to pray directly to you or thru Jesus. It is mentioned in the Holy Bible that Jesus says “anything you ask the Father thru me will be granted.” Help us to understand your Holy Words. I ask in the name of your Son Jesus Christ who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit one God forever n ever. Amen.

The right answer. Christianity is because of Jesus Christ. Father is in Jesus – whoever has seen Me has seen the Father. Is there anyone who has loved us more than Jesus Christ (Father is in Jesus Christ). Why shy away from Him? Praise the Lord.

Praying is talking to God and he said if we most worship him we most worship him, in spirit and in truth the only way to be in spirit is to be in Jesus and Jesus in us then we can worship God not as sinful men but as one with the son

Jesus Christ is God (I and the Father are ONE)… For Jesus Christ is the manifestation of God to us humankind…. Whoever has seen Jesus has seen God…. Whoever believes in Jesus believes in God… Therefore, when we pray to Jesus – we are indeed praying to God….

Just pray and pray often. There does not need to be a set way to do this. Nor does it matter to whom you pray (God, Jesus, Holy Spirit). Ask all in heaven, angels and saints to intercede on your behalf and your prayers will not be in vain!

We Catholics believe that the Holy People (Saints) and Mary, the Mother of Jesus are in heaven where they can hear our prayers… Just as we may ask a friend or family to pray for us, we Catholics do the same with the ones in heaven…We ask them to pray for us…
Jesus however is part of the Holy Trinity: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit…They are one…. They are God…
Hope this helps Berry 🙂

Pray unceasingly to God through Jesus. And, remember that Mary is a lowly obedient servant of God. That God’s Promise to His people had been possible through Mary. And the Holy Church as the Mystical Body of Christ honored Mary as God Really Does for there is no other human being created by Him who is such full of grace as Mary the Mother of Jesus! We must therefore pray to God through Jesus and search Him who is the Truth that our hearts will be opened in understanding God’s unfathomable Love, Mercy and Grace. Mary is our Mother too! You can therefore ask Mother Mary who is full of grace, for God ordained it so since the beginning of time. When Mary asked Jesus a favor during the wedding at Cana, Jesus never refused. (“,)